July 07, 2005

Terrorist Bombings in London

At least two people have been killed and scores injured after three blasts on the Underground network and another on a double-decker bus in London.

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was "reasonably clear" there had been a series of terrorist attacks.

He said it was "particularly barbaric" that it was timed to coincide with the G8 summit. He is returning to London.

An Islamist website has posted a statement - purportedly from al-Qaeda - claiming it was behind the attacks.

Smells like Madrid on March 11, 2004. Survivors' tales are here. Tony Blair:

Just as this is recently clear that this a terrorist attack or a series of terrorist attacks it is also reasonably clear that it is designed and aimed to coincide with the opening of the G8. There will be time to talk later about this.

"It is important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country, and in other civilised nations throughout the world.

Updates will happen as news occurs.

Update: CNNis reporting at least 40 dead. An organization called the Secret Organization of al Qaida claimed responsibility for the slaughter. Their statement:

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and undaunted fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

Nation of Islam and Arab nation: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge against the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters.

We have repeatedly warned the British Government and people. We have fulfilled our promise and carried out our blessed military raid in Britain after our mujahideen exerted strenuous efforts over a long period of time to ensure the success of the raid.

We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will be punished in the same way if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He who warns is excused.

God says: "You who believe: If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly."

Of course, this will require investigation as to who the murderers actually are, but the pattern clearly suggests that al Qaeda was behind this.

Update II: Norm Geras is following events closely. Josh Trevino has been observing reactions from the Bloody Seventh at Edinburgh Airport. He'll be in London shortly.

Update III: Glenn Reynolds is a Clydesdale-sized link-horse on the bombings.

Update IV: At Europhobia, Nosemonkey makes the following observations:

Liverpool St/Aldgate East/Moorgate was all the same incident.- this is near Brick Lane, with a sizable Bangladeshi/Muslim community.

Edgeware Road- the heart of a major Arab/Muslim community

King's Cross/Russell Square and Woburn Place- by the King's Cross Estate, with a sizable Bangladeshi/Muslim community, plus the School of Oriental and African Studies, one of the world's leading universities for the study of Islam (amongst others)

Was this intended to stir up anti-Muslim tension as much as anything? Otherwise the locations are rather bizarre - King's Cross and Liverpool Street, as major rail termini, make sense if you intend to cause maximum damage/casualties. Edgeware Road is near Paddington, another major station, so that could make sense too. But nothing at Charing Cross, Victoria, Waterloo etc. Nothing at Heathrow or Gatwick either. Odd. Why go for half measures?

Either way, from the casualties so far we've got off lightly. Seems like fluke as much as anything.

Not being familiar with the geography, I have no way of knowing. As for the timing of the bombings, who knows. Could be G8. Could be Live8. Could be the trial of Abu Hamza. Could be for any reason. In any event, the search for these bastards is starting in earnest. Tim Worstall has also been following events closely, and at Techcentralstation, he has the best one-paragraph summary of what took place that I've seen.

As I write the general outline is that there were six bombs set off on the Tube (London's version of the subway) during the morning rush hour, just before 9 am (yes, it's a late starting city by American standards) and then sometime later, after that system was closed and the buses jammed instead, a suicide bomber blows up a double decker. The latest reports are of 40 to 45 dead, the hospitals claim to be treating 300 injured and there are slightly more dismal rumors of 60 dead and a thousand injured.

This is London. We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.

Do you have any idea how many times our city has been attacked? Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work.

All you've done is end some of our lives, and ruin some more. How is that going to help you? You don't get rewarded for this kind of crap.

And if, as your MO indicates, you're an al-Qaeda group, then you're out of your tiny minds.

Because if this is a message to Tony Blair, we've got news for you. We don't much like our government ourselves, or what they do in our name. But, listen very clearly. We'll deal with that ourselves. We're London, and we've got our own way of doing things, and it doesn't involve tossing bombs around where innocent people are going about their lives.

And that's because we're better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we're going to go about our lives. We're going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we're going to work. And we're going down the pub.

So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the f**k out of our city.

Update V: Bill Roggio has more on the anticipated search for the murderers:

Britain is about to conduct one of the most comprehensive manhunts in its history. Known Islamist usual suspects will be shaken down hard for information leading to the culprits (Human Rights Watch and others permitting, that is). The Home Office is immediately redeploying officers assigned to provide security for the G-8 summit. According to the BBC; “many of the 1,500 Metropolitan Police officers in Scotland would be urgently redeployed to London.” This will reduce the size of the security detail at the summit, which has encountered its own problems with violent protests.

This brings something to mind. In the interests of security and goodwill among overstretched police and security personnel, this would be an opportune moment for the G8 protesters to make a gesture of solidarity with stricken Londoners and stand down from their protests. Wretchard has an analysis of what it took to execute these terrorist attacks:

These coordinated attacks are, technically speaking, at far higher level of sophistication than the Madrid attacks of 3/11 which involved a single train. The attack on London was a "time on target" attack which required simultaneity so that one incident did not compromise the subsequent. By implication the personnel involved received some degree of training and planned the operation in sufficient secrecy to prevent British security services from getting wind of it. The six attacks probably mean that a minimum of forty persons were involved, if those in support roles are included. The attackers must have an egress plan or access to safe houses where they can weather the inevitable crackdown.

Although coordinated and relatively sophisticated, Wretchard speculates that the lower numbers of casualties (compared to Madrid) is because fewer pounds of explosives were used, tens of pounds versus hundreds. Surely forty people cannot stay undetected forever. I have a feeling it'll be a matter of days--perhaps hours--before the first ones start getting caught.

Comments

I have just heard, on CNN, that there may be 45 dead. Four bombs, three on the Tube and one in a double-decker bus; apparently coordinated. A group that no one has ever heard of, claiming to be an al Qaeda affiliate, has claimed responsibility, but this is unconfirmed; apparently the web site on which the claim was made is one that anyone can post anything to. More when I hear it.

My heart goes out to everyone in London, and in the UK more generally. I hope all our readers there are well; my thoughts are with you. For what little that's worth.

my heart goes out to Jesurgislac from this site and all the people of London.

It looks like Bin Laden isn't having any problem meeting his recruitment quotas so we'll see even more of this, especially with our attention and funds going elsewhere. The man and organization who bombed my neighborhood almost 4 years ago is still at large and operating 'successfully', much to my disgust.

Indonesia,Turkey,Spain,London:al Qaeda still manages one major international attack a year, which is at most all they intended or wanted before 9/11,IIRC. No apparent degradation or deterrence in 5 years.

My heart goes out to Londoners, who deserve better protection than they have gotten. Mr "Mission Accomplished" needs to personally tell every grieving family member that "Osama bin Laden is not important."

Jes: what I meant to say was (reporting from the press conference): the police have received no claims of responsibility. They have just discussed the web claim; they say that they do not know it to be genuine; they are looking at it, and any other leads that may appear, but are keeping an open mind.

If anyone in London is, for some reason, relying on us for info: underground out for the rest of the day; bus expected back into central London later; reason: all busses and trains need to be checked for explosives.

Just went over to Tacitus and did a double-take - he's within a hundred miles of me. How... unexpected.

From his blog (and how weird to think that I know exactly where he's posting from)

Perhaps the villains' expectation is that the Briton will quail as the Spaniard, reacting to massacre with headlong flight from foreign fields. I think not. About me, I see older Scots with a steely flint in their eyes. The reckoning will come. There is a soul of honor beneath the ribs of death.

Yeah. My reaction, as, dear Tacitus, one of those Scots whom you might well have passed unknowing - we have at least as much sense as the Spaniards. We won't waste resources on a military non-solution. Rather than attack innocents, we'll find the people who are actually responsible.

And yes, I trust that the terrorist attack will not influence British foreign policy one whit: I hope we still withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year.

I forbid myself from reading right-wing sites today. Charles' post has been pretty informative, but if I bear witness to one instance of the inevitable Republican attempts to exploit this for Bush's political gain, I'm going to shred them and the consequences will not be pretty.

Jes, first thing I did when I sat down this morning was send you email, but I'm glad to see this was unnecessary and you and yours are okay.

Trying to write in the aftermath of horror is awful: you want to somehow convey the sheer dreadfulness of it, without cheapening anything by turning into a Hallmark card. How Tacitus chose to strike this balance, and the adequacy of his prose style to the occasion, doesn't seem particularly important just now. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Things are kind of rolling on here - I live about about 1/2 mile from Russell Square and 3/4 from Kings Cross, work literally across the road from Tavistock Square where the bus explosion was (but I'm working from home today) - I suspect many people have absconded from work as the pub benches are fairly full. Many people likely can't get to where they need to in any case. BBC is being a bit coy about numbers, for a long time only gave the figure of 2 dead; now it is clear the final figure will be much higher.

I have to say, as a person of Catalan heritage, and lifelong Londoner, it impresses me that today of all days someone would seek to twist some sort of knife towards my gut. Thanks Tacitus.

Hilzoy: How Tacitus chose to strike this balance, and the adequacy of his prose style to the occasion, doesn't seem particularly important just now.

Not in the larger scale of things, no. I wouldn't have bothered checking his blog if Charles hadn't posted the link. It's just a tiny added irritant, like the smirk on Bush's face as Blair spoke from Gleneagles about the attack.

I agree that Tacitus is an excellent writer (I note so frequently). And his account is gripping. It's really the tacky branding of the event while the rescue is still underway that strikes me as insincere.

Hmm, apologies for the double post. Might be the comm lines here. Anyway, the point was worth making twice. I haven't heard back from everyone I know who lives or works in the affected areas. I'd rather people waited a bit before sensationalising this or using it to prop up their own arguments.

Can I suggest that we focus less on the terms used to describe the tragedy than the tragedy itself? There'll be time for hashing it out (and the inevitable recriminations) later; for now, let's not lose sight of the fact that we're all human beings here, and we're all coping with this as best we can.

I'm not in the UK and know nothing about the bombings except what I'm hearing on the BBC so I'll comment on this:

the Briton will quail as the Spaniard

Why does Trevino always sound like a sixth-former in an amateur Shakespeare production?

Livingstone's remarks today are moving precisely because they aren't truculent, idle threats, or pompous self-dramatizing, but promises to keep and defend what the terrorists wish to destroy most, a free and diverse society.

"I know that you do fear you may fail in your long term objective: to destroy our free society. And I will show you why you will fail. In the days that follow, look at our airports, look at our seaports and look at our railways."

"Nothing you do, however many of us you kill will stop that life ... where freedom is strong and people can live in harmony ... whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.”

(I've heard his entire remarks, but haven't found a complete transcript yet. If anyone can point me to one, I'd be delighted.)

London, Madrid, New York--these places are the living antithesis of everything Al Qaeda stands for and believes, the living proof that they are wrong. It's not a question of whether you vote for Aznar or Zapatero, Bush or Kerry, Blair or Michael Howard or Charles Kennedy. It's the fact that while a few people I know briefly thought of moving from Manhattan--all but one minor acquaintance changed their mind, and most of the people I know there didn't even consider it.
Osama bin Laden and Muhammad Atta have proved themselves capable of murdering New Yorkers and Madrilenos and Londoners (though this may not have been centrally planned and may not have been Al Qaeda at all, we don't know for sure.) But they can't kill these cities. They won't. They haven't even managed to put a serious dent in New York City's real estate prices, for God's sake. Nor did they do anything but increase turnout in the Spanish election.

London's the only city I've ever been to (I actually stayed a few blocks from one of the blasts, between Kings Cross and Russell Square) that I thought could match New York. It's survived worse murderers than bin Laden and worse days than this, and it is the height of arrogance for us to hand them either certificates of merit or demerits for their resolve. There is just no question at all: al Qaeda won't be able to kill or break London (how perfectly does Edward's post prove that?); I just hope they killed as few Londoners possible.

"I want to say one thing specifically to the world today. This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at Presidents or Prime Ministers. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old. It was an indiscriminate attempt to slaughter, irrespective of any considerations for age, for class, for religion, or whatever.

"It is just an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder and we know what the objective is. They seek to divide Londoners. They seek to turn Londoners against each other.

"This was a cowardly attack, which has resulted in injury and loss of life. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been injured, or lost loved ones. I want to thank the emergency services for the way they have responded.

"Following the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11th in America we conducted a series of exercises in London in order to be prepared for just such an attack. One of the exercises undertaken by the government, my office and the emergency and security services was based on the possibility of multiple explosions on the transport system during the Friday rush hour.

"The plan that came out of that exercise is being executed today, with remarkable efficiency and courage, and I praise those staff who are involved.

"I'd like to thank Londoners for the calm way in which they have responded to this cowardly attack and echo the advice of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair - do everything possible to assist the police and take the advice of the police about getting home today.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that this is a terrorist attack. We did hope in the first few minutes after hearing about the events on the Underground that it might simply be a maintenance tragedy. That was not the case.

"I have been able to stay in touch through the very excellent communications that were established for the eventuality that I might be out of the city at the time of a terrorist attack and they have worked with remarkable effectiveness. I will be in continual contact until I am back in London.

"I said yesterday to the International Olympic Committee, that the city of London is the greatest in the world, because everybody lives side by side in harmony. Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack. They will stand together in solidarity alongside those who have been injured and those who have been bereaved and that is why I'm proud to be the mayor of that city.

"Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.

"I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.

"In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.

"They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves.

"They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don't want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."

This is from a post at TPMcafe, which came in for much criticism in a post here the other day by myself and others. If you want to get political about this atrocity, I think this is the way to go:

Here is a note to me this morning from my old friend Mick Cox, professor at the London School of Economics. I think he gets it right.

"The consensus seems to be that the London bombing was co-ordinated to coincide with the G8 meeting in Scotland. So if one of the objectives of the terrorists was to focus attention on themselves - whoever they might be - they have at one stroke done a major disservice to those many millions in Africa suffering from poverty and equal damage to those who were hoping to push a reluctant Bush towards accepting the need for firmer action on global warming.

Thus, as always, terrorism serves to divert attention away from real world problems and what can be done about them, to how best the state can be strengthened to prevent further terrorist attacks in the future. The cause of human progress has yet again been dealt a cruel blow.

"Perhaps the villains' expectation is that the Briton will quail as the Spaniard, reacting to massacre with headlong flight from foreign fields.

Am I the only one who thinks this is the cheapest of cheap shots? Can we not take just one day off from 'staying on message' and mourn?"

I also find this prose improper -- its the inevitable consequence of the deliberate polarization of the terrorism issue by the Bush administration. The immediate reactions from the partisans is how to spin this for partisan purposes -- the terrorism issue is now one for political opportunism.

Compare this reaction to the typical reaction worldwide post 9/11, which was to set aside differences and gather together to face the evil in unison.

Can we have maybe an entire day without the endless jockeying for the moral high ground? I'd even go for an extended moment of silence. Please, I'm begging you. Think of it as an extended moment of, you know, filtering of your internal conversation through something more sound-deadening than speaker grillcloth. Maybe something like decorum.

With apologies to those who may be contending with the London attacks in a more immediate sense...

At some point I hope we grapple with the fact that human suffering like today's in London is horribly similar to events that happen far more frequently in Iraq and other far-flung places.

Setting aside all the political origins of that reality for the day, my wish (one which I am not particularly optimistic about) is that the current suffering would not only firm resolve, but also increase the capacity of a few hearts in the West to appreciate the shared human cost of violence. We are more sensitive to today's news for a variety of reasons. Our reaction highlights how much we've grown accustomed and desensitized to the fact that civilians elsewhere are targeted every day by these same types of ruthless attackers.

Bob Mcmanus,Catsy,Jesurgislac. On the "Bin Laden not important"comment. Thanks for the info,I didn't know Bin Laden personally planted the bombs,I thought it was an organization,one that would exist with or without Bin Laden. I trust your pissed remark is directed at the murderers,the real murderers not Bush. Catsy,sorry to see only one party is exploiting this for political gain,[how exactly]. When will the Democrats ever speak out,or bear witness as you dramatically put it. Jesurgislac, I was watching the Blair comments and missed the Bush smirk,didn't even catch a smile. Maybe Bush should copy Howard Dean's facial expressions. On Trevino/Tacitus, I suppose it's tacky to express anger and resolve at a moment like this when we should all be talking about root causes,imperialism,and inevitably,coming together. What can you do,not everybody wears the same shoe size either.

we can't have a second without the pols and commentariat playing King-of-the-moral-hill

Of course. But by "we" I meant "we-uns".

I haven't actually seen any coverage, being at work and all, but what I've read has been...words once again evade me. I swear, I'm so reluctant to be misunderstood that I can scarcely communicate anything at all.

I have a friend in London who lived right across the street from one of the blasts. Her commentary to this point, aside from accounting for friends in the area has been to be impressed by the expertise with which the London Emergency Services have dealt with the issue, even with the top flight terrorism team in Scotland. As a resident of Oklahoma, let me just say good on' ya Londoners and may God be with you as well. My prayers are with you.

Moe's got his Union Jack up. If you do go over and comment, show some decorum, please. Eventually Moe might be coaxed to eat out of our hands.

Truce, Slarti.

Done! But I wasn't being twitchy around you; more being twitchy that every byte emitted by my keyboard seemed fundamentally wrong and inappropriate (or simply woefully inadequate), and was consequently sucked back in by the backspace key.

Honestly, so far today I have only told one person to shut the hell up, and that was a newbie over at LSF who was posting at length and without any humanity at all, it seemed to me.

Nothing seems adequate, I know. This is why the British impulse is to make tea. When all else fails, a comforting brew-up is the solution. To everything including your back teeth, if it's made strong enough.

And, it must be said that the power of a cup of tea to make everything seem a lot better is one of those mysteries which Modern Science has yet to fully unravel. It's undoubtedly the secret of our success as a nation.

S'okay, I have a seriously geeky side curled up behind the left-wing facade.

Regarding the tragedy today in London, may I refer you to this Pont cartoon from a different crisis?

Pont did a regular cartoon for Punch in the 1930's that illustrated the British character. My favorite (which sadly I cannot locate on the web) was a group of serene card-player on a ship, up to their chests in water as the ship sinks. Titled something like "Calm in the face of crisis."

This is just one of the many qualities British that I find endearing: when the world's on fire, do a few extra deep-knee bends. And God forbid a few cannonballs whizzing through the mains'l distracts one from tea.

Dears, it wasn't I who politicized this thing,do try and remember that. You may,if your strength holds out,scroll up and observe some remarks that under the circumstances could be regarded as tasteless. You dishes it out and you gots to take it. I can,can you? Francis/etc. I demand that you be locked up in your room without your rubber ducky and dessert. So there!

"Among the targets in the worst attack on London since World War II was the Edgware Road station, located in the heart of wealthy, assimilated Arab London. Middle Easterners of a variety of religions and South Asian Muslims are a substantial minority of the population in London, and the Edgware Road area is the pre-eminent Arab neighborhood in the city, with a fantastic variety of Lebanese coffee shops, Saudi grocery stores, and Persian restaurants. Some even call it "Little Lebanon," though the residents and shop clients come from all over the Middle East and North Africa, and the area especially attracts a young, hip crowd that compares it to Amman or Dubai. Edgware Road is Arab London's main street."

And while I know that I have no right to tell anyone what to say, I would ask people just not to respond to anyone who perpetuates the (to me horrible) politicization of this. (And if it's horrible to me, a total outsider, imagine how it must feel to the people of London, who should be our main concern) Again, just me asking. Thanks.

I realize that Tac's a great writer and, at times, a great provoker, but when did this day or this blog become the time and place to replay TacWars XVII?

If you have a comment for Tac, post it at an appropriate place -- e.g., his diary at Redstate. If you want to express support for our UK friends (glad to hear you're safe, Jes) or have some insightful comment on Charles' post, well, then, you've come to the right place.

The name is spelled with one "l," smart guy. I realize that referring to people by their full first names fulfills your need to condescend -- and far be it from me to deny so simple a man so simple a gift -- but I'd appreciate you spelling my name correctly. Thanks.

The mess refers to the seed you undoubtedly spilled after seeing yourself being discussed once again by people you profess to dislike so much. And being so moved by it that you felt compelled to comment.

. . . if you have a lick of sense, you'll listen to Hilzoy

Yes, well, if I had just dropped into to call a bunch of people I claim not to care much about "losers," I'd be a little more circumspect about who I offered advice to and what kind I offered, but, hey, motes and beams, right?